Matthew 19:30-20:16 (The First Shall Be Last, and the Last First, Part 4)

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What is the great danger of grumbling against God and His servants because of perceived injustices to us, especially in regard to envy?  See Exo 17:3, Num 11:1, 14:26-30, 1Co 10:10-11; cf. Luk 15:29, Rom 9:30-32, 10:19-21, 11:7-11.  Why is it always wrong to grumble against God supposing He is treating us unfairly?  See Rom…

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Matthew 19:30-20:16 (The First Shall Be Last, and the Last First, Part 3)

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For what had the first laborers agreed with the landowner to work?  What was a denarius, and what does it represent in the parable?  See NAS text note, and cf. Mat 19:27.  What made them suppose that they would receive more than they had agreed to?  See Mat 20:9.  How does their expectation reflect the…

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Matthew 19:30-20:16 (The First Shall Be Last, and the Last First, Part 2)

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Who does the landowner in the parable represent, and does the vineyard represent the whole world, or what?  Cf. Isa 5:1-7, Mat 21:33-41.  How does the vineyard and work to which God calls His laborers differ from the field and work to which the god of this age calls laborers?  Contrast Joh 15:1-6 and Luk…

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Matthew 19:30-20:16 (The First Shall Be Last, and the Last First, Part 1)

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Consider again the context of Jesus’ ministry: facing opposition from the religious authorities for His denunciation of their religious hypocrisy (Mat 12:22-45), His popularity among even His supporters had also begun to decline due to the perceived difficulty of His teachings (see Joh 6:60,66).  As a result, He began to withdraw with His remaining disciples,…

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Matthew 19:29 (The Reward Of Those Who Have Followed Christ, Part 3)

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With what other reward does Jesus encourage His disciples who have left everything to follow Him?  See Mat 19:29.  Does this promise refer only, or even primarily, to a future age in heaven?  See Luke 18:29-30.  In what sense do those who have left home and family to follow Jesus receive “a hundred times as…

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Matthew 19:27-28 (The Reward Of Those Who Have Followed Christ, Part 2)

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What does Jesus mean by the regeneration (Mat 19:28)?  Notice that the Greek word used (palingenesia) means literally a re-birth and occurs only twice in the Bible; it was used by the Hellenistic Jews to refer to a state of renewal, such as after the flood or the return of the Jewish exiles from captivity. …

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